Legend of the Smallest Army: Part II - Age of Tyrants
by Blanska
Summary: The adventures of the a capella group, Pentatonix were just begninng after they had won the Sing Off competition. The journey of the Smallest Army is far from over, and now they have to face the challanges of the world they stepped into.
1. Chapter 1: Flying

Introduction

Now you know how the five heroes met each other, and how they won the tournament of King Arvid. But if you think their lives became easier from this point, you're mistaken. Fame comes quickly, and it can vanish in a heartbeat, and if it lasts, it may not be as pleasant as you imagined. King Arvid gave the Smallest Army a small mansion in King's Nest - the capital city - and though Ser Tallak had to leave them for a while, Lady Izar offered to take care of their home and money. The neighbors gave them stern looks, but they were grateful because they got to live in this lovely, peaceful place, and most importantly, because they were together.

Chapter 1: Flying

One morning Lady Izar presented a curious letter she found on their doorstep. It was from a woman, whose brother had disappeared in Lord Raban's land, and since there was no one who would help her, she asked the Smallest Army to find out what happened to her brother. Pellerin was still a bit angry as he heard Lord Raban's name, he could never forget the day when Raban burned his home to the ground. But he put his anger aside, and told the others to prepare for the journey to find the lost brother.

They were travelling for days when they finally reached a village in Lord Raban's region. They asked around, hoping that someone has heard from the lost brother, but the only thing they could tell them was that good men, workers, woodcutters, craftsmen were dissapearing all the time. That's what gave Levent the idea that they should pose as craftsmen, maybe whoever or whatever is taking these people will find them too. The others liked the idea, and set up shop in an empty workhouse. They gave body to the illusions that Levent conjured, told the villagers that the greatest craftsmen in the country have arrived. The next day a hooded man approached them, asking about their products. He seemed to be impressed, but bought nothing after all. That very night soldiers raided their workshop, dragged them out of their beds, tied them up, and put bags over their heads.

The next morning the soldiers finally removed the bags, and as their eyes adjusted to the light, they found themselves at the feet of an enormous machine. Lord Raban himself was there, and it took him a few seconds to realize who the captives were. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded from his men, as panic crept into his heart. "Do you not know who these people are?" Pellerin enjoyed it a bit, seeing that their simple presence was enough to make the great lord nervous, but he knew they were not here for him. "We only came to find someone who disappeared on your property." explained Fidelia. Raban decided that he doesn't have time to deal with these witches and ordered his men to escort them back to his castle and try to keep them there, but Levent asked him with honest curiosity, eyeing the great shiplike machine: "What are you trying to accomplish here?" "Only the impossible" answered Lord Raban "I'm gonna make this thing fly."

The Smallest Army didn't resist as the soldiers led them to Raban's castle, and locked them up in a neat little bedroom. They were talking about the flying machine and trying to guess why Lord Raban wants to make it work, and when they ran out of ideas they started to talk to the guards. The first two weren't willing to share anything with the prisoners, but the second couple were different. They told the Smallest Army that not long ago giant eagles came from the sky, and took the lord's only son. Raban had been abducting workers ever since to create a flying ship for him, and now he thinks his last plan will work. Etele urged his friends to help Raban find his son, and Johan told them that the sooner the lord gets his son back the sooner he'll stop harassing the people. Pellerin didn't like the idea of helping the man who destroyed his home and family, but also felt sorry for the workers who had become Raban's slaves.

"We're coming out!" the two soldiers guarding the door heard. They tried to explain that they're not allowed to let them out unless the lord himself says so, but as soon as the sentence was finished the door exploded and a furious bull jumped out of it. The guards ran away without thinking, and the five heroes reached the construction site without meeting any resistence. Fidelia sang a mesmerizing tone, and with that she made all the soldiers turn around and walk away. They told the workers that they're free to go home, and a minute later there was no one else there just the five heroes and Lord Raban. "We want to help you." said Pellerin, and Raban wanted to ask them why on Earth would they do that, but he had no other options, he had to accept their offer.

Lord Raban shared his plans with the five heroes who started working on it immeadiately. Thanks to their unique talents the construction went much more quickly and they even left out some parts of the plan. The flying ship was supposed to be lifted up by hot air, and Lord Raban has already made a design and he was sure it would work this time, but with Johan on their team, they decided it wasn't necessary to build it after all. A couple of days later to the lord's greatest surprise the flying machine was finally finished. They only had one thing left to do. Test if it really works. Before the Smallest Army took away his workers, Lord Raban never had to actually be on the ship while testing, he didn't want to risk his life after all, but now staying on ground was out of the question. When the six of them took their places on the machine, Pellerin gave the signal to Johan to start filling the huge balloon with hot air, and slowly the ship started to rise. After a while it floated high enough, so Raban tried to navigate it and everything seemed to work smoothly.

The Smallest Army began to celebrate their victory against gravity. They were shouting and cheering, looking down on the castle, the forests and meadows, the hills and rivers. They could hardly believe that they were flying, but Lord Raban couldn't waste his precious time with such nonsense. The only thing that mattered to him was finding his son. A few hours later the young heroes got used to the view of the world floating by and were spying the horizon with weary eyes. The afternoon light was already fading when they finally spotted the tall cliffs, the Home of Eagles. These rocks stood high above the clouds, thin pillars pointing to the sky, their tops seemed impossible to reach for creatures unable to fly.

As they floated closer to the cliffs, gigantic eagles swooped down form the clouds and started circling around the flying ship. "I came here to take my son back and you will release him immediately!" demanded Lord Raban. The giant birds then turned around and flew to one of the tallest cliffs, there they landed one by one and settled down encircling a young man. "So typical of you, father." they heard his calm, confident voice. "Convincing yourself that I came here against my own will, for what else could be the turth?" Raban wanted to respond but this proved to be one of rare the moments when he simply didn't know what to say. "Are you saying you weren't abducted? But why would you want to leave?" he finally managed. The young man sighed "I never wanted to live your life, but as long as I was living in your world, I had no chance of being free." Then Lord Raban was silent for a long time. The setting sun was casting golden lines on the clouds when the visitors from below finally decided it was time to go home. But before they set off, Raban asked his son and the eagles to allow him to stay with them for he wished to make amends. They accepted and so the flying ship left the Home of Eagles without its master.


	2. Chapter 2: Withstanding

Chapter 2: Withstanding

The darkness of night was falling swiftly and the Smallest Army had no idea how to fly Lord Raban's machine back home, so they decided it was best if they landed as soon as possible to avoid getting even more lost. They landed roughly in a clearing and spent the night on the flying ship's deck. When the morning sun lit up the sky and showed the true face of their enviroment, a sudden dread crept around the heroes' hearts. What they saw was desolation. Black earth, spoiled and rotting, corpses of pinetrees moaning in an almost dead wind. "What is this foul place?" asked Etele in hushed voice, but Levent knew exactly where they were, for he had studied lands most people never heard of. This was the realm of the Dark Queen, in the middle of the Land of Eagles. They said she was such a powerful sorceress that King Arvid was so terrified of her that he gave up a part of his country just to avoid a conflict.

Now that they knew where they were, they continued their way back to King's Nest. They trod carefully among the dead trees, walking quietly for long, sluggish minutes, then out of nowhere a strange man stood before them. They asked who he was, but he didn't answer, he just waited there until more men showed up and slowly surrounded the heroes in unbroken silence. They closed on them with unhurried, steady steps, then grabbed the heroes' arms, and started dragging them away. They didn't speak, wore no one's banners, didn't have any weapons either, it scared the Smallest Army a little, but also made them curious about who these men were and where they were taking them. It didn't take very long, these silent men led them to a huge, ancient castle that looked abandoned on the outside. As they entered they found themselves in a grand throne room, illuminated by thousands of candles. A long, ornate carpet led to the far side of the room, decorated on either side by elaborate statues. And on a mighty throne she was. A beautiful woman with pale skin, dark hair and the treacherous eyes of a snake. "Welcome to my halls, brave heroes!" the Dark Queen adressed her guests. "I am Nagendra, your host. I trust that you will stay for a long time." Pellerin was the first to find his voice and he informed the Lady Nagendra that they intend to go to King's Nest as soon as possible. "Oh, that won't do." the queen shook her head and ordered her men to take the guests to their quarters.

The queen's servants led the five heroes down a winding staircase, but at the bottom of the stairs instead of glorious chambers, a dungeon was waiting. The men put them in seperate cells, then went back where they came from. The five heroes had many questions. Who were these silent men? Were they serving the Dark Queen of their own free will? If not, how was she keeping them under her power? And most importantly, what was she planning to do with the Smallest Army? They decided that there was no way the silent men were acting freely, for the most part they didn't even look like they were aware of their own actions. Levent suspected that the sorceress had found a way to control these people's minds, and if he was right, she probably intended to do the same thing to our heroes. Johan suggested that they escape somehow and fight their way out if needed, but Etele urged his friends to find a more peaceful solution, for he didn't like the idea of hurting people who have no control over their own actions.

The Smallest Army discussed the matter and argued about various ideas for way too long. Suddenly, the door of the dungeon opened and the queen of the castle descended the stairs with graceful, confident steps. "I hope it's not too cold down here." she said in her calm tone as she reached Johan's cell. "It's not gonna be so chilly for much longer, I promise." She took a few more steps and turned to another cell. "Do you like this castle, Pellerin? I love the safety of its walls, it can be very cosy and warm on winter nights." Then the queen slowly walked over to Levent. "In this castle there's a library that has no books, but holds the greatest secrets of life. I can't help but wonder, perhaps you're the man to unlock them." Suddenly a strong voice came from behind the queen, and shook the dust from the cell bars: "What do you want from us?" The lady of the castle turned to Etele and answered in an innocent tone: "From you? Why would I want anything? It can't be so hard to believe that I'm simply glad that you are here." Then she stepped to Fidelia's cell and opened her door. Everyone jumped to the bars and demanded to know where she was taking her or warned her to leave their friend alone. Nagendra put an arm on Fidelia's shoulder and said to the others in shooting voice: "Calm down, now... I'm only inviting her to dine with me."

The Dark Queen left with Fidelia, and the rest of our heroes were still in their cells and still in disagreement. Should they try to escape or could they reason with Nagendra and convince her to let them go? Should they stay for a while and see if less suspicious behaviour brings its reward and the queen grows to trust them? Should they make a deal with her and help her unlock those secrets she mentioned in exchange for leaving the castle? Should they leave the castle at all? Maybe the world inside the stone walls was kinder than the one outside. Maybe struggling against the queen's hospitality just made things worse. Maybe fighting their way out did more damage than good. What if she was telling the truth all along? "What if she wasn't?" they heard Etele. This made them realize that they couldn't risk that, especially now that Fidelia was on her own. They agreed to break out, avoid attacking the silent servants, find Fidelia and leave this castle forever.

Pellerin turned into a mouse, then back into his human form, and opened the doors from outside, one by one. The four heroes sneaked through the hallways with great caution, and finally found a dining chamber. They peeked in through the door and spied Fidelia sitting at the table by herself. They told her about heir plan in hushed voices, but to their greatest surprise Fidelia had no wish to leave the castle, and asked her friends to stay with her. The others were growing restless, they feared that one of the silent men would find them or discover the empty cells if they linger for too long. They told Fidelia that they can't stay and want go home. "Don't leave me alone!" she begged with sudden worry in her eyes. "We're not going to do that." Pellerin tried to assure her. "But we're going home. Will you come with us?" She looked around, hesitated as she searched her companions' eyes, then slowly nodded as she finally stood up from the table.

Pellerin told Johan to hold Fidelia's hand and make sure that they don't lose her, then they hurried back to the throne room as quietly as possible. It was all empty, the only figures in the room were the statues of ladies lit by a sea of candles. They were almost at the main door, when they noticed that Pellerin fell behind. He was standing in front of a statue and just stared at it in dead silence. He recognized its features, this lady looked exactly like his mother. The last time he had seen her face was the day his village was burned to the ground, and now he only stopped looking at her when he couldn't see clearly anymore from the tears that gathered in his eyes. "See something you like?" they heard the gentle voice of Nagendra. "What have you done to her?" growled Pellerin at her with his voice broken by pain and anger. "Oh, but I've done nothing. She was such a kind-hearted woman that she gave me the rest of her years as a gift. Fidelia, darling! Do you really want to go away?" Fidelia looked at Johan with pleading eyes and gently pulled him towards the Dark Queen, but Pellerin stopped her with a shout and told her not to move. Nagendra turned her attention to the shapeshifter, staring deep into his eyes with a poisonous yellow gaze as she was slowly circling around him. "Your mother gave her life for me." her powerful voice filled the hall and became louder with every word. "Unlike you she was selfless. You would rob your own friends of the safety of my castle from selfishness and envy. No one will care for you out there! I am the only one who can protect you and you will obey me!" Pellerin closed his eyes, he sighed out pure wrath, streched his neck, and when he opened his eyes again, he had the eyes of a snake, exactly like Nagendra. His gaze cut deep into the Dark Queen, and for long minutes they fought a battle of wills. Finally Nagendra seemed to weaken and Pellerin forced her to undo her magic over the statues one by one. With each woman brought back to life, the sorceress lost more and more of her life force, and as the final statues were turned back to flesh, she faded back to non-existence.

The women were all in awe of the heroic feat and Pellerin was finally reunited with his mother. With the evil sorceress gone, the silent servants gained back their own will too, and were eternally grateful to the Smallest Army, especially the shapeshifter who freed the castle.


	3. Chapter 3: Controlling

Chapter 3: Controling

The Smallest Army returned to their mansion in King's Nest where Lady Izar greeted them with all sorts of news, both ill and pleasant. The nobles of King's Nest never liked the idea of these nobodies earning titles and trying to rise to power, and this hadn't changed at all, instead it was getting even worse. So far these nobles only whispered about their displease behind closed doors, but now their hate was becoming louder with every day. Lady Izar feared that in a short time this could prove to be a major threat. If the nobles declared that the Smallest Army were nothing but tricksters who have no place amongst nobility, the situation could turn very ugly and dangerous and even the king wouldn't have the power to preserve the young heroes' status. On the other hand, the craftsmen who were freed from Lord Raban's tyranny sent various gifts to the Smallest Army. Elaborate pieces of funiture, finely crafted swords and shields, someone even made small statuettes portraying the five heroes.

Lady Izar also mentioned that a man knocked on the door not long before their arrival and asked to see Fidelia. She told him that the heroes weren't here and she didn't know when they would return and then he left muttering curses under his breath. When Lady Izar described what the man looked like, suddenly old, almost fogotten fears seized Fidelia's heart. She knew who it was, and she was certian that he would return. There was no question, it must have been Master Eurig, the leader of the travelling actors who had raised her and used her powers to rob people. He was the worst of all. Some of the actors were as worthless thieves as himself, but most of them didn't have a choice and were trapped in his world just like Fidelia. She knew that she didn't belong to him anymore, but just the thought of him being in King's Nest, looking for her, brought dread and corrupted her days. She tried to convince herself that she left that cursed life behind forever and now she could see it all slipping away.

In the next few days Fidelia refused to leave the mansion, and the others often saw her looking out the window with fearful eyes. They all tried to make her feel better, Johan almost never left her side, Etele comforted her with kind words and Lady Izar made her hot cups of tea to shoothe her soul. And three days later Master Eurig knocked on the door once again. Lady Izar promised to take care of the situation and make him leave, but Pellerin suggested that Fidelia should answer the door and face the man herself. She agreed, this matter was hers to deal with. Fidelia stepped to the door, took a deep breath and opened it. Master Eurig was almost as she remembered, maybe a little more ragged than the last time she had seen her. He removed his hat, quickly put on a charming smile and bowed before the girl. He wouldn't stop talking about how joyful he was because of Fidelia's good fortune and because he could finally see her again. He praised her companions but mostly herself about their great triuph in the King's Tourney and the king for granting them a fitting reward. Then he asked her to let him in so he could marvel at their beautiful palace, but Fidelia refused and held the door handle even tighter for she was afraid he would try to force his way in. But Master Eurig did no such thing, he just toyed with his old, worn-out hat in his hands. Then he explained that the other actors including himself were going through very rough times and Fidelia as she was one of them, should do her duty and help her old companions. "For what is a few bags of gold for such a wealthy noblewoman like yourself?"

Fidelia told him that they had no money to spare and even if they did, they wouldn't give it to the likes of him. She locked the door then, and listened to him shout for a few minutes about how she was lying and their mansion was flowing with gold. After a couple of minutes Master Eurig saw that this course of action wouldn't grant him what he wanted and he left the Smallest Army alone. Everyone assured Fidelia that she did the right thing by turning that man away and that he could never harm them for all that he had at his disposal were words. Fidelia was glad that Eurig left so easily, but she was still nervous that he might come back, and every hour she expected to hear his angry curses again from the streets. When a messenger came by a few days later and delivered a letter to the young heroes about a potential quest, Fidelia could hardly mask her relief. She was sick of sitting in her room and always expecting the worst, and she couldn't wait to leave the mansion and finally forget about Eurig's visit.

The letter was sent by an old man, begging the Smallest Army to rescue his daughter. He said that he had little money but he had a found a way to repay them if they succeeded. They were supposed to meet him in a village next to the capital, so they packed their things and set off as soon as they were able. A few hours later they arrived to the village and went looking for the man who requested their help. Eventually they came across an old beggar with a huge grey beard and a big ragged cloak. He kissed the young heroes' feet in his joy and said he was forever grateful for aiding him. He started talking about strange soldiers that kidnapped his daughter, but Fidelia made him stop. She couldn't put her finger on it at first, but then she recognized the old man's voice and that made her see all the warning signs. She removed the man's hood and ripped off his mask. "He is no beggar, he's nothing but a fraud!" The man was one of Master Eurig's puppets, and they quickly realized that if this was a trap, it was surely meant to lure them away from King's Nest and from the mansion.

They hurried back to the capital but they were too late. They found their home empty, pillaged by the desperate and the hateful. Every movable object of some value was gone, along with all the kind gifts, but they couldn't care about them at the time, for Lady Izar was gone as well. They couldn't imagine that she would abandon the mansion at times like this, they had to assume that Eurig took her away. But where? And for what purpose? They asked their neighbors if they had seen Master Eurig or Lady Izar, but all the nobles claimed that they knew nothing about the incident and couldn't help the young heroes. All but one. There was a young lady who was playing with her dolls in the garden, and had seen a strange man in a hat with two big men dragging away a lady. The Smallest Army followed this lead, asked more people until the route they were taking became quite familiar. They were heading out of the city, towards the dragon cave where Etele had been trapped.

The Smallest Army were relieved when they spotted Lady Izar and her captors at the caved in entrance. The two henchmen of Master Eurig were working hard to clear the rubble, while the master himself was threatening to end Lady Izar if she tried to trick him. Eurig only noticed the heroes' arrival when his men dropped their shovels and scoured off in terror. However he was quick to react, he pulled his captive close and put a dagger to her throat. "You thought I didn't know you'd come?" he hissed towards Fidelia. The young heroes didn't move, didn't dare to take a single step. "Your power is useless against me, witch." And this time he was telling the truth. When Fidelia was working for him, she didn't know how to control her powers yet, and Eurig had a pair of enchanted objects made, which he could put in his ears and they made him immune to the girl's hypnotizing songs. "You forget that I'm not alone anymore." Fidelia told him, and as soon as she said it, Eurig heard wrathful winds rising, and wild beasts growling. The gournd beneath his feet took hold of his legs and the dagger in his hand started burning his palm, so he dropped it immediately. When he released Lady Izar, it all stopped and everything went back to normal. "From now on your power is useless as well." Fidelia said with a new found courage in her voice.

Pellerin and Etele found a rope and bound Eurig's hands and feet, so they wouldn't have to watch over him while they decided what to do next. Johan said they should banish the man somehow, scare him enough that he would never want to come back, Etele wanted to do the same thing only in a less harsh way. Pellerin and Levent said that the man is liar and a criminal so if they gave him to the city guards, they would surely punish him. Fidelia thought about it for a while, then told Lady Izar to release him. She cut the ropes, Fidelia let him go and walked away. But Eurig's fury and pride didn't let him leave. He picked up a shovel a launched forward to take sweet revenge on the girl who ruined him. Fidelia turned around with fright and saw her attacker collapse before her feet, and behind him Lady Izar pulling a dripping, red blade out of his back.

In the empty halls of the mansion, the heroes made their beds out of blankets and talked for long hours to Lady Izar about the day's events and about their current situation which they hoped wouldn't get even more grim, at least not any time soon. They thanked their loyal friend for standing by them even when everyone seemed to wish for their downfall. They lay down close to each other and knew that whatever the future might bring, they will face it together and together they will stay.


	4. Chapter 4: Hiding

Chapter 4: Hiding

A few days later another messenger came by, and the five heroes hoped that this letter wouldn't bring more ill news but something pleasant for a change. However when they opened it, they discovered that the envelope contained nothing but a piece of paper with a sinlge word on it: "Runbyrg". Levent stated it right away, that this was the name of a town in the Land of Eagles. He said it was built on an island in the middle of a river, and was surrounded by huge stone walls. The five heroes were weary about this note, there were many people who wished them harm and this could turn out to be yet another trap. But there were also people who needed their help, and if that was the case, they couldn't ignore this message. The Smallest Army packed their things and left their empty mansion to visit the town, Runbyrg.

Levent wasn't wrong about the walls surrounding the floating town. There was only one bridge leading to the island, and one big gate, guarded by grim soldiers wearing black and blue uniforms and holding sharp spears in their hands. There were more soldiers on the walls, the black and blue banners of Runbyrg fluttered in the wind in every direction. The Smallest Army crossed the bridge, but they were stopped by guards as soon as they reached the gate. The soldiers asked them what business they had in Runbyrg, and Levent explained with the finest words he could find that they only wished to see the legendary town on the river with their own eyes. The guards let them in, but warned them not to make any trouble. Inside the walls, citizens gave the Smallest Army quick, curious looks, but they turned their gaze elsewhere as soon as one of the heroes noticed them. The town seemed to be calm, the people busy and organized and the guard patrols frequent. The five heroes decided to visit a tavern or an inn to gather information, or even find out who sent the mysterious note.

They learned quickly that Runbyrg had only one tavern, the Riverine Steed. The innkeeper greeted the strangers and brought them whatever they desired, then the heroes started asking questions. The innkeeper told them that Runbyrg was a proud and peaceful town, where everyone knew each other, and it was rare that they received visitors. "I saw a great number of soldiers patrolling the streets." said Johan to the innkeeper. "Is the town expecting trouble?" The innkeeper just laughed and shook his head with a friendly smile. "Our dear Lord Sigward, the lord of the town, just wants to make sure that the citizens are safe. There's never been any trouble in Runbyrg." The five heroes asked more questions about the town, and when the innkeeper wanted to get back to his work, Pellerin showed him the note that led them here. The innkeeper seemed to be confused about the message with only one word. He said he had no idea why anyone would do such a thing, and assumed it must have been nothing but a prank made by some of the heroes' friends. Fidelia was worried that innkeeper was right, and they fell once again for the same trick to lure them away from their home. But Johan disagreed. Ever since they arrived he sensed that something was terribly wrong about this town, and talking to the innkeeper just made him even more certain. "I know fear when I see it." he told the others. "And in this place, I saw it wherever I looked."

When the five heroes left the tavern, a couple of guards stopped them, and informed the visitors that the lord of the town wished to see them at once. They followed the guards to the keep where Lord Sigward was waiting for them. He welcomed the famous heroes of the King's Tourney and asked them what business brought them to his humble town. Levent started to explain with careful words how curious they were about the floating city, but all of a sudden Johan stepped forward and continued his companion's words. "Runbyrg is more glorious than we could ever imagine and we would like to stay for a few days to admire your beautiful town." Lord Sigward wished their stay to be pleasant and assured them that one of the good citizens of Runbyrg will certainly offer them accomodation. The lord of the town was right, as soon as they reached the Riverine Steed, the innkeeper promised to give the heroes a chamber of the tavern for half price. When Pellerin told him that they didn't have enough money, the innkeeper offered them the same room for only a couple of coins.

Their room was small, but kept the cold out, and the bedrolls the inkeeper gave them were still more comfortable and warm than sleeping on the floor of their mansion. While they were having their breakfast, the barmaid came to check if they needed anything. When she reached the table, she accidentally tripped on something, and almost landed on Pellerin. He helped her regain balance, then she apologized and left quickly. The only one who noticed what was really going on was Fidelia, and she pointed it out to the others that the barmaid just stole the mysterious note Pellerin was keeping in his pocket. They didn't understand why she would need that message since there was nothing on it, just the name of the town. Later, the five heroes went for a walk, met some of the citizens, and everyone they talked to seemed very content and assured them that life in Runbyrg is simple and peaceful. When they returned to the Riverine Steed, a woman rushed into the tavern, tears of pain and fury were falling from her eyes, and from her mouth came angry curses and accusations. She was shouting at the innkeeper, calling him a treacherous snake, who would sell his own mother for a piece of coin. The innkeeper looked shocked and claimed that he had no idea what made the woman say such horrible things. A few moments later the guards arrived and took the raging woman away.

The next day there was a commotion on the main square of Runbyrg. The same woman from the Riverine Steed was standing on a crate in the middle of the crowd. She spoke of the events of the day before and explained what drove her to behave in such strange ways. She said that her husband left her and that it was her own fault, and it made her angry beyond reason. She regretted her deeds that forced her husband to leave the town and the baseless accusations she made. Then she stepped off of the crate and begin to walk away, but Johan hurried after her and asked her where her husband was and what really happened between her and the innkeeper. The woman repeated what she had said to the crowd, but before Johan could ask anymore questions a guard stood between them. "This woman had been through much" the guard told him. "It would be best if you left her alone." Johan put on a polite smile and replied: "I only wanted to tell her how sorry I was about her unfortunate situation." then he turned to the woman and said: "I am truly sorry about what happened, and I want you to know that I am here for you."

Johan still wished to talk to this woman, he wanted to know the truth. He suspected that the story she had told the people was a lie, and that she must be terrified of revealing what really happened and for that she must've had a good reason. This woman was obviously in some kind of trouble and Johan didn't want to cause her any more misery, so he waited and planned. On the third day at the Riverine Steed, a man carrying apples bumped into Johan. He apologized and as Johan helped him pick up the fruits, he told him in hushed voice to find the carpenter's assistant. Johan gathered the others and shared his plan with them. They left the tavern together, then they split up and headed into different directions. Johan and Pellerin went together and in a narrow alley where no one could see them, they turned into a little bird made out of ice. They found the carpenter and flew in through the window, then they turned back to their human forms. They told the carpenter that they needed to talk to his assistant, a short man with a big beard. The assistant made them promise that they tell no one about him, and when they swore to keep his identity a secret, he told the tale of how Lord Sigward became the lord of Runbyrg. The bearded man used to be a servant at the keep, when Sigward's uncle still ruled the town. The deceased lord had two sons, both vanished or died under mysterious circumstances, but the assistant knew exactly what happened to the lord himself. He hid in the shadows of the keep, and watched as Sigward slayed his own uncle, and anyone still loyal to him. He fled the keep and had been hiding at the carpenter's house ever since. Johan and Pellerin thanked the man for telling them this dangerous tale, then left the way they came.

After they arrived back at the tavern, they didn't even have time to share this information with their friends, a large number of guards appeared at the door and told them that the lord had summoned the Smallest Army once again. "I trust you enjoyed your stay at Runbyrg." Lord Sigward said to the heroes. "And I hope that on your way home you will only spread tales that do justice to our magnificent town." Then Johan stepped forward and adressed the lord: "We shall tell the tale, Lord Sigward. But before we go, I'd like to offer you a gift, an ode I composed to praise your glory." Sigward smiled and tried to tell him there was no need for such gifts, but Johan ignored him and began to sing and his beautiful voice mesmerized everyone in the hall.

"O Lord Sigward, king of whispers  
You prefer the blind, but my eyes can see  
In your hold I found fear,  
Men ready to flee  
On your throne I found blood,  
The blood of three  
In your heart I found ice  
And ice you shall be"

As he was singing, the walls of the keep turned into ice, and the white magic kept crawling towards the lord. Sigward shouted for guards, but the it reached him before any of his soldiers could make a move, and by the time Johan's song ended, Lord Sigward was turned into ice himself.

Stunned silence filled the room. None of the guards dared to move, there was no lord to follow anymore. Suddenly one of the servants fell to his knees and cried: "All praise Johan, who freed us!" A huge crowd gathered in front of the keep and they were all celebrating Johan. Everyone wanted to talk to him, tell him how grateful they were that he freed them from Sigward. The citizens of Runbyrg elected a leader and the first thing this leader of the town did was to hold a feast to celebrate their saviour, and raise a statue of gold in his honor.


	5. Chapter 5: Helping

Chapter 5: Helping

Lady Izar was relieved when the Smallest Army returned to the mansion not only alive and well, but with an amount of presents and gold that would surely get them through the next few weeks. She also advised caution, since kings usually didn't take it lightly when people upset the balance of their kingdoms. King Arvid undoubtedly didn't mind getting rid of the Dark Queen who occupied a significant part of his realm, but he might had some issues with removing two of his vassals from power. Lady Izar asked the five heroes to be more considerate the next time they were forced to deal with one of the lords of the kingdom.

A few days after their arrival, a young woman knocked on the door. She was wearing worn-out lethears, a ragged coat, and told Lady Izar that she came here to ask for the help of the legendery five-man army. Her name was Jasna, and she was on a mission to fulfill her dying father's last wish. She told them the tale how her grandfather lost his his noble rank along with his home, Castle Silandrus. Her father was born in that castle, but they were forced to leave when he was still a child. Now on his dying bed he asked his daughter to retrieve a family relic that was still hidden somewhere in the old building. Jasna didn't have much money, but she offered every coin she had in exchange for the heroes' help. The Smallest Army felt a bit guilty about asking money from this poor girl on her noble quest, but they were still in need of coins, so they accepted her offer for now. Jasna and the five heroes prepared for a long trip to Castle Silandrus that lied on the top of a mountain near the border of the Land of Eagles.

The Smallest Army and their new companion had walked for almost five days when they finally spotted their destination. Castle Silandrus was enthroned on the mountaintop like an old monarch, slowly consumed by age but still proud of its long forgotten glory. Our heroes, satisfied with their progress, decided to take a break and have their lunch in a nearby clearing. As soon as the young heroes sat down, an arrow flew past between Jasna and Pellerin. "We're being ambushed!" shouted Jasna immediately, and before any of the other heroes could react, Etele summoned walls of stone around the group. The Smallest Army asked their companion if she knew who the attackers were, and she explained that this area had been abandoned since the fall of Castle Silandrus and thus it was swarming with bandits nowadays. Pellerin asked Levent to create an illusion of thick fog, so they could escape the trap and fight the bandits from the safety of the trees. His plan seemed to work, they held hands, kept close to each other, and reached the treeline unhamred, but as soon as they left the fog, the bandits spotted them again and regrouped. Their leader was barking orders to surround the Smallest Army and detain them as long as possible, then headed to the castle with the rest of his men. Jasna feared that the bandits would beat them to the mountaintop, but Pellerin promised her that it wouldn't happen. They fought off the thugs surrounding them and gained just enough time for Pellerin to turn into a tuulind, the sacred bird of Lalekara, and fly away with his companions.

They arrived at the castle long before any of the bandits could reach the mountaintop. Jasna didn't want to waste any more time, but some of the heroes couldn't help but wonder why these thugs were after the same thing as the Smallest Army. Jasna told them about the relic, the Horn of Hliftus. It was named after a great hero who had won many battles in his time, and even if this relic never truly belonged to this legendery warrior, it was probably still quite valuable. The bandtis must have been tipped off about its location and wanted the relic for themselves. Jasna said that she needed Etele to get the Horn of Hliftus, for it was hidden inside a wall. They agreed that it would be best if the others stayed and guarded the entrance from the treasure hunters, Johan quickly put up walls of ice to hide behind from arrows, Levent cocked his crossbow, and Etele vanished in the dim halls of Castle Silandrus with Jasna.

They were wandering the old hallways for a while, Jasna stopped often to decide which way they should go and eventually they spotted a stairway leading deep into the mountain and at the bottom they found an ancient crypt. They lit the torches and candles that weren't consumed by time yet, and their pale lights showed the room to its visitors. The walls were covered in spiderwebs and carvings, there were six graves built into the walls, each grave had barely recognizable writings on it and a stone statue of the person buried there. Jasna told her comanion that the horn was in one of these graves, but they didn't have time to figure out which it is, so Etele opened them with his voice one by one. Each time he checked the inside quickly but three times he had found nothing but old bones, but on the forth time the hole in the wall revealed a bundle of cloth. He snatched it, opened it swiftly, and as soon as he layed eye upon the horn inside the fabrics, he felt a stabbing pain in his head and the world went dark.

When Etele woke up, his vision needed some time to adjust and get back to normal, and only then did he notice the chains tying him to one of the statues. Jasna was standing in front of him and when he wanted to speak, she took the horn to her mouth and drew a deep breath through it. Etele didn't understand the situation, he tried to ask for an explanation, but no voice came out of his mouth. His unique voice had proven to be a curse as well as a blessing, but it was part of who he was now, and losing it was a shock he didn't know how to respond to. "I'm sorry." Jasna said, but before she could say another word, they heard noises coming from the stairwell. Jasna fell silent, then quickly hid in the shadows next to the entrance of the crypt. Pellerin and Johan appeared in the dim light, and their eyes went wide when they saw their friend injured and chained up. They leapt to his side without hesitation and were asking him what happened, but without his voice he couldn't warn them about the danger. Jasna tried to sneak out to the stairway, but when Johan noticed her, she blew the Horn of Hliftus and the sound of it brought down the ceiling and covered their exit.

The only problem was that Jasna didn't know how to handle the strong magic of Etele's voice and now the whole castle was being torn apart by a powerful earthquake. Johan quickly destroyed Etele's chains and Pellerin explained that they only came down here to warn them because a great number of bandits had managed to get into the castle. The door was blocked by the fallen rocks, but the earthquake tore down one of the walls of the crypt and revealed a secret passage. The two heroes helped up their friend, Johan lit their way with a magical flame and they both did their best to sheild Etele from the falling debris. When they reached the end of the tunnel, Pellerin turned into a ram and broke the thin wall in their way. The earthquake was still ravaging the castle, and getting out became more challanging with huge blocks of stone and ruins everywhere. When the three heroes finally reached the main hall, they were covered in dust and bruises. At the main entrance their friends were waiting for them, and Etele was surprised to see the Horn if Hliftus in Fidelia's hands. She told them that she took it from a bandit who was trying to escape the earthquake, and as soon as she finished the sentence, Etele ran back inside the castle.

In spite of the warnings and shouts of concern from his friends, Etele raced through the main hall of Castle Silandrus, searching every corner while trying to avoid falling into one of the tears in the ground or being hit on the head by a rock. After a few minutes of desperate searching, he heard a woman coughing and he found Jasna trapped under a fallen part of a wall. He made sure that lifting the blocks of stone wouldn't hurt the girl even more, then he steadied himself and begin raise the wall. His strength was barely enough to hold the block of stones until Jasna crawled out from under it, and when she was finally free, he helped her up and protected her until they both got to safety.

At the entrance of Castle Silandrus, Jasna took the Horn of Hliftus and gave back the voice trapped inside to its rightful owner. Now that he got his voice back, Etele made the earthquake stop, and finally deep silence fell upon the mountain. Jansa admitted that most of her story was a lie, and she was nothing but a thief who needed money desperately. There were no noble grandparents, nor dying father, but she warned Etele that there was a man willing to pay immense amounts of gold for the voice that can move mountains. "I can never repay you for saving my life." she told him. "But from this day I am in your debt." And before she disappeared into the woods, she looked at Etele with eyes full of sorrow, and told him one last time: "I am sorry."


	6. Chapter 6: Deciphering

Chapter 6: Deciphering

After they returned to their mansion in King's Nest, the Smallest Army considered selling the Horn of Hliftus. They were running low on coins, but if someone out there was determined to take Etele's voice, they couldn't risk letting the magical artifact out of their hands. They decided to hide the horn and look for another way of earning money. Lady Izar told them, that they were running out of options and even she couldn't conjure coins out of thin air, so they should all find simple, temporary jobs until an opporunity arises. Pellerin and Johan decided to help out on one of the farms near the capital city. Etele went to the docks and got his old job back which mostly meant unloading shipments. And finally, Levent took Fidelia to the castle where he offered his services as a translator and asked the king to allow his friend to be his assistant. King Arvid accepted the offer and promised fair payment for his work. Levent occasionally had to act as interpreter at meetings, but usually he was sitting in the library with Fidelia, scribbling down his translations.

After a few days at the library, Fidelia had enough of the stone walls and lightless days, so she asked Levent to continue their work outside. They found a balcony facing the beautiful White Gardens and moved their books and papers there. After a few hours of working, a white dove landed on Levent's right hand. At first, they were both amused by the bird's curious behaviour, then they noticed the tiny note attached to its leg. Levent thought the bird landed on their table by mistake, but he removed the note anyway, and the dove flew away as soon as its leg was freed. Levent unfolded the letter and was surprised to see that he had no idea what it said. "Taze lind, vedamal su ilim esaslile zam!" He didn't speak every language in the world fluently, but he usually recognized them and with the help of notes and dictionaries understood them easily. This one was completely unfamiliar to him. They both went back to the library and looked for books or scrolls written in this unkown language, but they found no such writings and returned home with nothing but the mysterious note. Levent showed the note to his friends, but none of them recognized the language. Some of the heroes thought it was a mocking threat from some noble, after all this wasn't the first time that they had showed their dislike towards them. But Levent couldn't stop thinking about the mysterious letter. It was an unsolved puzzle, and he needed to know its meaning. When everyone else was already asleep, Levent was still awake, staring at the unfamiliar words until something occured to him. The word "lind" could have been the key to solving this mystery. It sounded a lot like "tuulind" the big, white bird they had seen at the Frenzied Sea. This line of thought lead him to believe that the note was written in the language spoken in Lalekara.

On the next morning the other heroes found Levent hastily packing for a journey. He told them that he must find out what the letter meant and he urgently needed to see his old teacher, Master Alim. Lady Izar suggested he abandon this quest because at the moment they needed gold more than knowledge and Levent's work was earning them most of that gold. Levent knew that, but he was relentless, and seeing his determination, the other heroes decided to accompany him. The Smallest Army reached Master Alim's hometown in a day and managed to find his house before nightfall. Alim's eldest son, Werstan opened the door and informed the five heroes that the master had passed away a few months ago. Levent didn't expect to hear such unfortunate news, he told Werstan why they had come and promised not to burden him for long. Werstan led them to the his father's old room, which was so filled with scrolls and books and sketches, that it was almost impossible to walk from one corner to the other. The heroes helped Levent to look for texts written in the lagnuage of Lalekara, for a while they couldn't find anything in the organized chaos that the old master had left behind. Then after an hour of search, Etele found a notebook and when he showed it Levent, the scholar's face lit up with excitement. "This must be it!" he said. "The master's notes on lisaan!" He began studying it immeadiately and noticed that a lot of pages were torn from the book. He asked Werstan if he knew anything about these missing pages and it turned out that the old master had divided the notebook's content between his three sons.

Werstan gifted the incomplete book to Levent and told him how to find his siblings. The middle brother, Rafiq was touring the nearby villages and since he was the only harlequin in the area, it wasn't too difficult to find out his whereabouts. The Smallest Army told Rafiq why they needed his father's notes, and the man explained them how to get to his house and where to look for them. The five heroes were surprised by his cooperation, telling random strangers how to get into your home seemed like a sure way to get robbed, but Rafiq assured them that there wasn't much to steal anyway. The Smallest Army traveled to Rafiq's house and found some of the notes exactly where they were supposed to be. Now the heroes had the larger part of the notebook, but it still wasn't enough to translate the message, so they headed to Wyrmstone, one of the biggest cities in the Land of Eagles.

The city was built upon the enormous cliffs that bent over the restless waves of the ocean. Near the city gates, the heroes saw only beggars and poor people. As they made their way uphill, the buildings appeared to be in better condition, then they saw merchants and fat citizens, and finally on the top they reached magnificent palaces. One of the largest and most luxurious of the palaces belonged to Levent's father, Lord Eran Vantaves. The lord of the palace wasn't at home when the Smallest Army arrived, but he wasn't the man the five heroes were looking for. A servant led them to the workshop of Master Fihr, the youngest son of the old teacher. They explained him why they needed the master's notes, but Fihr just shook his head and asked in a light tone: "What can you give me in return?" Levent told him that they didn't have much gold, but they would be very grateful for the last pages, however Fihr wasn't moved by his speech. "Don't you have everything with my father's support?" Levent asked the youngest brother. "I can always have more." he answered. "These pages are family relics now, so I expect something of great value in return. Perhaps a magical object that I could study." When the heroes mentioned the Horn of Hliftus, they got Fihr's attention, and now he wanted the horn in exhange for the pages. Levent made a final offer, and told Fihr that he would rather give it to his patron, but the other scholar refused.

The Smallest Army left Wyrmstone without the final pages, but after arriving back to King's Nest, Levent locked himself in his room, and started to analyze Master Alim's notes. He was working on it for almost a week, taking breaks only to sleep a few hours or get something to eat, but finally his hard work payed off. When he put all the words together, it turned out that the message wasn't a death threat or a mocking joke, nor a call for help. It said: "Little bird, bring this letter to my true love!" Levent still wasn't sure what to make of this. Was it some kind of superstition? Did the bird really fly all across the world from Lalekara? Who wrote this letter and was it really meant for him? And if it was, could what the message implied be true?


	7. Chapter 7: Strengthening

Chapter 7: Strengthening

One morning, a well dressed messenger on horseback arrived at the mansion of the Smallest Army and handed an invitaion to Lady Izar. Not just any invitation. A noble named Lord Gilroy Ginnan invited the five heroes to the King's Ball, an annual event for the most important members of nobility. Usually the invitation comes from the king himself, but prestigious noblemen like Lord Gilroy, could afford to attend the ball in the company of uninvited individuals. King Arvid had good reasons for forgetting to send an invitation to the infamous heroes of the King's Tourney. The nobles hated them for enjoying the privileges of a life they had no right to live. Four of the heroes weren't born into nobility, this was already enough to despise them, but their curious magical abilities made their situation even worse. The fear of these little monsters only grew larger after the dissappearance of Lord Raban, the defeat of Lady Nagendra and the tragic death of Lord Sigward. For understandable reasons the nobles of the Land of Eagles felt threatened by the Smallest Army and most of them were convinced that these wizards were sworn enemies of the nobility. So why would this Lord Gilroy invite them into a pit of snakes? Fidelia and Johan had a very bad feeling about attending the King's Ball, but Lady Izar and Levent thought it would be a terrible idea to refuse such an invitation, so Pellerin suggested that they accept for now and request a meeting with this Lord Gilroy.

The next day a carriage arrived, and a nobleman dressed in blue velvet knocked on the mansion's door. Lady Izar let him in, and couldn't stop apologizing for the state of their home. She told Lord Gilroy about the misfortunes that had happened to them, carefully holding back everything that was unwise to mention. The nobleman introduced himself to every member of the Smallest Army, and told each of them what a great pleasure it was to meet them in person. "To tell the truth, I didn't expect to find the legendary heroes living in an empty mansion." he said. "It would be my honor to have you at my palace until the day of the King's Ball." The offer sounded too good to be true. They wouldn't have to worry about what they were going to eat, or where they were going to sleep, and they could live a life of luxury, at least for three days. When Etele asked him what he wanted in return, Lord Gilroy said: "It's a gift. We're equals, and I wish to treat you as friends." Lady Izar urged the heroes to accept the offer for she saw it as a great opportunity to gain some of the nobles' approval. After a few minutes of discussion, Pellerin thanked Gilroy for the generous offer and accepted it.

The palace of the Ginnan family was enormous and luxurious beyond imagination. It had a beautiful garden filled with exotic flowers from distant lands. The hallways were filled with paintings and statues of family members. There were at least three dining rooms, one of them was large enough to hold two hundred guests. The heroes could see several servants roust about, definitely more than they could count on their hands. Lord Gilroy was able to give a chamber to each member of the Smallest Army and the guest wing still seemed empty and quiet. When it was time for dinner, the heroes went to the smallest of the dining rooms, where the maids put such lavish dishes on the table that the Smallest Army hadn't seen since the feast after the King's Tourney. They were already eating the first course, when suddenly Lord Gilroy spoke with a friendly smile on his face. "I wouldn't dream of offending you, but this just won't do at the King's Ball. If you wish to impress the nobles there, you have to learn how to act like them." Then Gilroy started to point out all the ways they violated the etiquette in the last few minutes and with the help of Levent they explained the other heroes how they should have behaved instead. The dinner quickly turned into a very long lesson of formalities, and by the time our heroes were tired enough to fall into their beds, Gilroy announced that he will teach them everything they have to know to gain the nobility's acceptance.

It was quite a challenge. The Smallest Army had only three days to learn how to act like proper nobles. Four of them were commoners, Fidelia used to play princesses and noblewomen, but those were only the results of small people's imagination. They had no time to waste, as soon as the heroes were awake, Lord Gilroy started his lessons. When their minds were already full of courteous phrases, Gilroy and Levent began teaching them the dances that were most popular at the time. Johan and Fidelia turned out to be the finest dancers of the group, and every single compliment or well worded greeting sounded magnificent in Etele's deep, gentle voice. It was difficult for Pellerin to memorise all these rules and customs, but he worked hard to keep up with his friends.

The three days at the Ginnan palace were gone swiftly, and the day of the King's Ball arrived before the Smallest Army could even realise what is really going to happen. This time, Lord Gilroy let his guests sleep until noon, and after a late lunch, the many servants of the Ginnan family brought forward the heroes' attires for the ball, another gift from their host. The servants helped the five heroes dress, which wasn't the easiest task in this case, and a few minutes later they entered the main hall, one by one. Pellerin was the first to emerge, wearing an elegant, light blue doublet, and a pair of tall, light brown boots. It was obvious that he felt uncomfortable in these strange clothes, but a few kind words from Lord Gilroy were enough for him to gain back his confidence. The next hero who entered the hall was Levent, who was dressed up all in black and purple. His long robes were embroidered with complex patterns, and he wore these fine clothes as they were the most natural thing in the world. His face lit up with delight as soon as he glimpsed Pellerin, but the next person who stepped into the room brought even more joy to their hearts. Johan's clothes were firey red, on his waist there was a white shawl, decorated with formations similar to ice. He looked beautiful in his new attire and by the way he was showing off the dance steps they had learnt a few days ago, he was completely aware of his impressive appearance. Etele got an elegant, green raiment from Gilroy, he was a sight for sore eyes now that he was wearing something nicer than his usual cothing. At last, Fidelia arrived and the hall fell silent. She was dressed in a beautiful red violet gown, with tiny shards sparkling all over her skirt. She didn't even have to use her voice anymore to mesmerize everyone in the room, one look at her was as powerful as her magical songs.

When they finally arrived at the king's castle, the heroes were quite excited, not all of them for the same reasons. Attending the King's Ball was a huge honor and even if they weren't accepted as a part of the nobility, at least for one night they could feel like kings and queens. Some of them couldn't wait to enter the ballroom, some were nervous about embarassing their friends, and some were worried that the night wouldn't turn out to be as successful as they hoped. At first the Smallest Army didn't attract much attention, but after the nobles had realised who Gilroy's mysterious guests were, they became the talk of the ball in no time. A few lords and ladies approached the five heroes, most of them gave sweet little compliments, asked polite questions, and acted very friendly towards them. There were always one or two nobles who showed their disapproval in a subtle way, but no one spoke out against them. Out of fear? Indifference? Even Lord Gilroy couldn't say, but he assured his guests that they improved their sutiation just by showing up at the ball. But the Smallest Army didn't spend the entire evening worrying about the nobility's opinions. Etele frequented the dining room, and most likely tasted every signle dish served there. Levent had long discussions with other nobles, and was happy to answer any questions they had about his friends. Many ladies complimented Fidelia's dress, and after a few dances with Johan and Pellerin, noblemen started to ask her for the next dance, and then she hardly ever left the dancefloor. Johan and Pellerin stuck together for most of the night and had as much fun as they could without causing any sort of trouble.

In the middle of the night, the Smallest Army returned to the Ginnan Palace and went to bed with pictures of ball gowns, dancers and luxury in their heads. On the next morning they thanked their host for his kindness and all his gifts and left one dream for another. When they arrived back to their mansion, they found all sorts of gifts there and a joyous Lady Izar. While the five heroes were staying at Gilroy's palace, all sorts of people heard the sad news about how the Smallest Army had been robbed. All the craftsmen they had freed, all the women who were trapped by Nagendra, some of the citizens of Runbyrg and some of the commoners of King's Nest put together what they had and helped Lady Izar tidy up the mansion. Pellerin's mother, Emse had arrived as well with some old friends from her village and offered her assistance in managing the household. After a few days even one of the nobles sent a small present that helped Lady Izar to get things started. In a couple of days the bleak, empty halls of the mansion had turned into a real home, and Smallest Army couldn't have been more grateful. The peope they helped, now returned the favor, but the five heroes knew there was more to this. Their legends were already spreading throughout the kingdom, it brought a little hope to the hearts of common people, and the Smallest Army didn't inted to let them down.


End file.
